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Campus News

Engineering students seeking funds to build bridge in Kenya

UB engineering students have designed a bridge, similar to the one pictured above, for a dangerous ravine in Kenya. They are raising money to buy materials and to travel to Africa to build the bridge. Photo: Kelley Rehm

By EMILY FARACCA

“I decided if the students were going to go through all the trouble to design something, it may as well be something that will actually be built and provide a benefit to people.”

Jerome O’Connor, adjunct professor

Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

A senior class project for Jerome O’Connor’s
engineering students is counting for much more than a final grade;
it’s giving them real-world experience and a chance to help
people in need.

O’Connor, a UB structural and earthquake engineer, asked
his students to design a footbridge across one of the many ravines
in rural southeast Kenya.

During the rainy season, these ravines become impassible and
prevent access to education, economic development and health care.
The ravines have contributed to more than 6,000 deaths in the past
10 years, according to Bridging the Gap
Africa, a
nonprofit that has built 48 pedestrian footbridges in Kenya.

UB partnered with the organization to help improve
people’s lives while giving students some practical
experience.

“I decided if the students were going to go through all
the trouble to design something, it may as well be something that
will actually be built and provide a benefit to people,” says
O’Connor, adjunct professor of civil, structural and
environmental engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences.

After conducting an environmental impact assessment, the 24
students—working in teams of six—designed a
“suspended” or hanging bridge made of donated steel
cables that are supported by steel towers.

An experienced welder in Kenya will fabricate the towers and
most of the bridge materials will be sourced from within 100 miles
of where it will be built. A typical bridge spans 130 to 200 feet
and has a 3.2-foot-wide walkway made of eucalyptus wood.

The students are raising money to buy materials needed for the
bridge, which will cost about $20,000. Additional funds are needed
to pay for travel expenses for the students who will go to Africa
to help build their design.

O’Connor, who also manages UB’s bridge engineering
program and works for MCEER, the university’s earthquake and
extreme events research center, came up with the idea to build a
bridge after speaking with Kelly Rehm, a member of the board of
directors for Bridging the Gap Africa, at a meeting of bridge
engineers.

O’Connor inquired how UB could support the group’s
efforts, and the conversation led to the formation of
O’Connor’s curriculum. He also offered his students the
option to attend the seventh National Seismic Conference on Bridges
(7NSC) to assist him in setting up and running the conference,
which was held in Oakland, Calif.

“I felt this was both an enriching and rewarding
experience,” says Garrett Miller, a student who helped design
the bridge.

“I gained priceless information relative to the
up-and-coming research, technologies and governmental policies that
will be used in the future of civil engineering,” says
Miller, who received a BS in civil engineering in May and will
return to UB this fall to pursue a master’s degree.

Although the upcoming task is daunting, the students feel they
already have achieved a significant victory through their
teamwork.

“When practicing engineering, we need to capitalize on
everyone’s strengths in order to excel as a team,”
O’Connor explains. “Different personalities, cultural
perspectives and technical skills help the team arrive at a better
solution than any one person would be capable of.”

Anyone wishing to donate money to support the students’
efforts, can visit the Giving to UB
website.

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